Phil Salt, who was sold to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the IPL 2025 auction is ready to play with Virat Kohli in IPL 2025. The wicketkeeper-batter said that he has always enjoyed playing against the legendary batter Kohli due to his light-hearted nature. Notably, RCB bought Salt for ₹11.5 crore. They bought him after a bidding war with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as well.
Phil Salt told ESPNcricinfo (via India Today): “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Virat. I’ve always had a bit of chat with him – and a laugh and a joke – when I’ve played against him in the past, so I’m looking forward to playing alongside him.”
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However, Salt had gone unsold at the IPL 2024 auction before being bought as a replacement by the Knight Riders for his base price of ₹1.5 crore as well. He saw a ₹10 crore price jump after a breakthrough IPL season too. He smashed 435 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of
182, including four half-centuries. His efforts played a huge part in helping KKR win the trophy after a 10-year gap.
Phil Salt, a stunning opener, further applauded RCB for their aggressive gameplay as well.
“They’ve got a very clear way of playing the game which is to go out and attack. They’ve always had the fiery personalities and their batting line-ups have been world-class. They’re one of a few teams who, when I was watching IPL years ago, if they were playing, I’d turn the TV on. Obviously, they’ve got Andy there and Mo Bobat [as director of cricket], and I’m really looking forward to playing under them. Having been around them a little bit, I know that we’re quite similar thinkers on the game in some ways – and their track record speaks for itself,” he concluded.
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Players bought by RCB at the IPL 2025 auction:
Liam Livingstone (₹8.75 crore), Phil Salt (₹11.50 crore), Jitesh Sharma (₹11 crore), Josh Hazlewood (₹12.50 crore), Rasikh Dar (₹6 crore), Suyash Sharma (₹2.60 crore), Krunal Pandya (₹5.75 crore), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (₹10.75 crore), Swapnil Singh (₹50 lakh), Tim David (₹3 crore), Romario Shepherd (₹1.50 crore), Nuwan Thushara (₹1.60 crore), Manoj Bhandage (₹30 lakh), Jacob Bethell (₹2.60 crore), Devdutt Padikkal (₹2 crore), Swastik Chikara (₹30 lakh), Lungi Ngidi (₹1 crore), Abhinandan Singh (₹30 lakh), Mohit Rathee (₹30 lakh).
Players retained:
Virat Kohli (₹21 crore), Rajat Patidar (₹11 crore), Yash Dayal (₹5 crore).
